Diabetes Care

6 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT DIABETES

25 million Americans—1 in 12—are affected by diabetes. If health trends continue, that number could be 1 in 3 by 2050.

Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S.

Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness, lower-limb amputation , and kidney failure among American adults.

347 million people worldwide are affected by diabetes.

More than 80% of diabetes deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.

Total deaths from diabetes are projected to rise by more than 50% in the next 10 years.

Addressing Diabetes in the USA

Direct Relief and BD developed a nationwide program to assist people with insulin-dependent diagnosed diabetes, providing 10 million insulin syringes and pen needles to a nationwide network of nonprofit clinics. Learn More.

Addressing Diabetes in Bolivia

At least 19 million people have diabetes in Latin America and the Caribbean, and that number is expected to nearly double by 2025.

As daunting as these statistics are, the day-to-day realities of living with diabetes in an area without adequate care are far worse. Fortunately, the many health complications related to diabetes can be minimized or eliminated entirely through early detection and changes in daily lifestyle.

At ground zero of the disease in Bolivia, in the city of Cochabamba, where an estimated 10 percent of adults are suffering from diabetes, the country’s only institution providing diabetes prevention, care, and treatment services is El Centro Vivir Con Diabetes (CVCD). It also happens to be one of the best in the world. In 2009, CVCD was named one of six International Diabetes Federation Centers of Education, and in 2011, one of World Diabetes Foundation’s Centers of Excellence. CVCD focuses on screening, lifestyle education, and nutritional counseling, along with providing treatment for the most common diseases that accompany diabetes.

The Abbott Fund and Direct Relief support CVCD with funding, medicines, and medical supplies that aid in screening for diabetes and the treatment of diabetes-related conditions, like visual, neural,and circulatory problems.In anew collaboration, Direct Relief provided CVCD with iPads to integrate electronic medical records for mobile and clinical data collection, management,and visualization.

This technology has bolstered CVCD’s already strong mobile testing program, Prevenir, which has tested more than 100,000 Bolivians for diabetes.

View a photo essay on how Direct Relief and Bolivia’s global leader in diabetes care are innovating treatment among the country’s most at-risk communities.